


A Little Bit of Understanding

by Solistair



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-28
Updated: 2016-10-28
Packaged: 2018-08-27 10:42:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8398495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Solistair/pseuds/Solistair
Summary: I wanted to try writing a casual, semi-tired Arden talking to who I thought of being the warmest at first way back during my first playthrough. She's asked a question and shares her thoughts.





	

It had only been days, one short of a week, since Arden was placed in a very comfortable cottage in Haven. The first two days had been difficult, mostly spent trying to convince Cassandra that she wasn't going to get them all killed, or even be the one who killed them. The Seeker still didn't trust her, that she was sure of, but perhaps in the near future that would change.

She sat on her bed now, body covered by thin fabrics, hair hanging heavy around her shoulders. The fire cast very comfortable light around room and the decoration was very homely. It wasn't anything she was used to, it wasn't even close to the simple beds and drawers in Ostwick. Being from a good family didn't seem to do much for her there, she thought again now while looking at her hands, wondering why in the world her magic had to be so, in lack of a better word, dark.

Midnight passed long ago and the camp's fires had all been lit, the silence from outside suggesting that only guards were awake, the poor things. Oh well, they had their job and she had hers.

Sitting still unable to continue her sleep didn't help the situation much, so she stood up and located her clothes. Padded leather boots, warm tunic, an even thicker wool above that, and she was ready to leave her room, or well, cottage. The cold chill she got from the door's handle, wind leaking through the small opening, made her wonder if this was a good idea, but the thought was just as quickly swept away.

It was very dark, indeed, but there were less fires up than she had thought. She took the mantle's hood over her head, letting the heavy fabric cover parts of her face as she got to the guards, nodding a silent hello before passing them. Preferably, outside the gates would have been a nice walk but that would have given her more attention than she seeked, so towards the Chantry seemed the better choice.

She reached the fire where she always saw Varric sitting, pacing, or resting. While there was no sign of the dwarf, the fire was still going on decently. A few steps to the fire then two steps more she reached the small stone wall, turned around, then sat down with her back towards it, now looking at the fire.

The following few minutes felt like pure bliss; the silence of the night, the crackling of the fire, the warmth of her clothes just barely keeping all the cold out. Her eyes closed and breath calm, as if there were no worries. Though suddenly, she heard creaking sounds - steps in the snow heading towards her. Her eyes calmly opened to see a very friendly face.

"Lady Trevelyan," he started. "Never thought to find you here."

Arden smiled. "Cullen," she nodded politely both as a welcoming gesture and as an invitation to sit down, if he would like so. For a moment it looked as if he would keep standing but he soon sat down next to her.

Before he could ask, if he was even planning on it, Arden opened her mouth. "It is so very silent here," she commented, Cullen looking rather confused. "Not a bad thing, of course," she continued. "Though I am used to much different surroundings."

"Ah," he nodded, eyes turning to her. "If I may ask," his tone suggested a more personal question so he sought her permission to continue speaking, though she didn't understand it at first. "Oh," eyes shot open and she nodded. "Of course," she then said and Cullen was quick to continue. "You're from the Circle of Magi in Ostwick?"

"Yes."

"I heard that they were very calm. I assumed you were used to silence and, well, calm." Cullen spoke surely but carefully. He wasn't one to pry and he would certainly not want to get on her bad side, the latter was something that seemed to concern everyone else too, but to his words she simply sighed and turned her focus to the fire.

While she was quiet, her chest felt as if it was crumbling. The memories she had from her 'calm' life at the Circle were not even close to calm. The Circles of Magi in all of Ostwick were known to be calm and quiet, just as the commander said, but Arden was certain that it was just a rumor stemming from the very templars and upper folks that ran them.

"I assume you heard it from other templars?" she asked, feeling her body tensing up at the mere mention of templars. "Yes," he nodded. "Old friends, though they personally had not served in Ostwick."

"They're _animals_ ," Arden didn't waste a breath and spoke just as the commander stopped. More a mumble, really, not much intended for his ears though they reached anyway. If it was the sudden words of the shock from hearing them she could not tell, but Cullen's eyes opened wide. It wouldn't be hard for anyone hearing that to know exactly what went through her head at the mention of templars.

Reluctant, combating curiosity while trying to keep it polite, he asked her, "What happened?" to which she removed the hood from her head with a heavy sigh. "You know templars," Arden placed her hand on the back of her neck and pulled down the fabric, "and some of their _not_ so traditional ways."

Cullen frowned, now looking nearly repulsed with what he saw. On the back of her neck at the start of her back there was a burn, nicely healed but very visible, of the Circle mark. Cullen leaned forward, eyes squinted, shaking his head. "Who-"

"Templars in Ostwick thought I needed to be taught a _lesson_." Arden scoffed and placed the hood over her head again, trying to keep her head warm. She then smiled, which came as a surprise to the commander, but that smile was mostly for herself. It wasn't something she talked about much, mostly because of lack of relevance, but she felt compelled to give him insight since her past certainly wasn't dull and calm. He looked down at his hands, his playing fingers.

"It's the whole mage thing," she said, stealing his gaze again. "They assumed I was a blood mage immediately. Wrong color of your magic and suddenly you're a time bomb." Arden pulled her legs back and leaned on her knees. "Color?" Cullen asked, to which Arden stretched her hand out towards him, opened her palm, and with a flick of her finger there was a dark glow emitting from her hand.

Cullen jolted back unintentionally. He assumed he, as a previous templar, was already used to the show of magic. Perhaps it was only the sudden appearance of it, he thought.

Arden scoffed with a smile, "Just like that, yes." She pulled her hand back. "An all too long story put short - I've been branded like cattle."

"I must apologize, Lady Trevelyan, does anyone else _know_ about this?" he carefully emphasized his words and kept steady eye contact to make sure he wasn't stepping over some line. Arden shook her head, assuming that his words meant her family. Her status would have made it a greater issue than she was interested in dealing with. "They don't seem calm and dull now, do they?" she said with a forced laugh, pushing away the subject.

For the next moments that passed there were no words exchanged, the only sound was the cracking of the fire in front of them. Soon enough they could hear chatter between guards, laughing, discussing, gossipping. A lot of the talk was about their partners, about the fights they've been through; a lot of baseless boasting, and then a bit later they spoke about the 'grumpy elf', and it wasn't very hard to guess who that was about. Arden snorted, laughing at the mention, and immediately covered her mouth. Cullen laughed at her reaction. "Solas seems to be a favored topic between them," he said. She couldn't help but agree, not to mention glad the subject had changed.

The elf had been nothing but stiff since the moment they met. Instead of a greeting, he had grabbed her arm with uncomfortable force and shoved it towards what she at that point had no idea what. The thankful part had come later when she was told he was the one who kept her safe while sleeping. Slightly creeped out, perhaps, but thankful.

"He's different. Perhaps they find him threatening?" she guessed. "Or perhaps their problem lies with mages in general. Since we're dangerous, and all." Suddenly her tone was overly sarcastic, rolling her eyes over at Cullen who seemed more worried than amused. "No- I mean- Wait, you don't think _I'm_ dangerous?" Worried was what she was now, especially after her sudden display.

Cullen's laugh was genuine; deep and now amused one at that. "You have proved to be a powerful ally, I won't be the one to shun that - or you - away." he said then, reassuring her. " _Even_ though it was surprising."

Arden smiled, finding herself relieved. It wasn't what she thought she'd feel but it was a change, a good change. "I believe most would say different."

 


End file.
